The general concept of convenient utilization of space for storing various items by using rotating mechanisms to provide maximum access is known. Very early U.S. Pat. Nos. 18,042; 111,608; 256,600; 489,652; 816,077; 836,947; and 1,224,083 describe various designs for rotating storage racks including bookcases and flower stands. U.S. Pat. No. 2,229,171 describes a rotating shelf which employs a tapered spindle having roller bearings to provide the desired rotation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,853 describes a rotating rack for baby food containers which rotates on rollers.
In addition, a number of revolving bookcases are on the market. These bookcases, generally, are relatively inefficient in their use of space because they preempt potential book space to accommodate materials that provide vertical support or they provide merely marginal vertical support with a marginal degree of structural rigidity. The present invention substantially offsets these limitations by means of an effective combination of "bookend" function, vertical support function and vertical/horizontal spacing function; moreover, with several minor optimal design modifications, the present free-standing revolving unit can be significantly enlarged and made into a sturdy practical floor-to-ceiling revolving unit that is compatible with typical household ceiling heights.